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No. 6l4,978. Patanted uovfzs, I898. u. POTTIN.

CASH RECORDER.

(Application filed Jim. 3, 1898.) (No Model.) 5 Sheets-Shunt l.

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H. POTTIN;

CASH RECORDER.

(Application filed Jab. 3, 1898.)

5 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

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No. 6|4,978. Patented Nov. 29, I898. H. PUTTIN.

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(Application filed Jan. 8. 1898.) (lo Model.) '5 Sheets8heet 3.

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No. 6l4,978. Patented Nov. 29, I898.

' H. POTTIN.

CASH RECORDER.

(Application filed Jan. 3. 1898.)

5 Sheets-Sheet 4.

(No Model.)

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no; 6l4,978. Patented Nov. 29, I898.

HQPUTTIN.

CASH RECORDER.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY POTTIN, OF PARIS, FRANCE.

CASH-RECORDER.

QPEOIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent NO. 614,978, dated November 29, 1898.

Application filed January 3, 1 8 9 8.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY POTTIN, engineer, of 62 Rue St. Lazare, Paris, in the Republic of France, have invented new Improvements in Controlling, Recording, and Stamping Apparatus; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being made to the accompanying drawings.

Myinvention relates to simple and improved apparatus for allowing salesmen in a store or shop to control operations at the cash-desk or pay-office. Thesaid apparatus does the stamping of the bill that the customer himself hands over to the cashier and registers successively all the sums cashed on a continuous paper band which unwinds automatically in the interior of the apparatus. A certain number of the apparatuses are suitably located in suitable parts of the store or shop and fixedly attached in place. Each salesman is provided with a ticket or note-book the leaves of which are torn off and hear an order-number which corresponds to such and such a salesman, so there are as many ordernumbers as there are salesmen.

After each sale the salesman goes to the nearest apparatus and acts on the knobs or levers of the same, which correspond to the tens of dollars, dollars, tens of cents, and cents. He then tears a leaf out of his notebook, introduces the said leaf as a ticket in an opening or slot reserved for that purpose in the apparatus and moves down the operating-lever to its lowermost position. The apparatus has then perforated the continuous ribbon or strip of the recorder and also the ticket, and the sum marked is that which corresponds to the figures shown by the knobs or levers which have just been acted upon that is to say, to the amount of the purchase made by the customer. The salesman then draws out the perforated ticket and hands it over to the buyer, who then takes it himself to the pay office and pays his bill.

In order to be able to control separately the sales made in the dilferent departments of the store where the recorders are placed, each of the latter bears a different letter, which is printed on the ticket after each sale or operation of the apparatus. The cashier receives,

Serial No. 665,395. (No model.)

therefore, from the hands of the customer a perforated ticket showing the amount of the purchase and the apparatus at which it was recorded.

At the end of the day the cashier is in possession of all the tickets which have been perforated by the several recorders, and he has only to add up, on the one hand, the amounts marked on the tickets and, on the other hand, those recorded on the continuous bands to control in an absolute and perfect manner the operations of the pay-office. In like manner by adding up' separately the amounts marked on the tickets bearing the same letters and the amounts marked on the continuous bands of the corresponding recorders the cashier can control in a perfectly reliable manner the sales effected in the different departments of the store.

Finally, the apparatus is so arranged that the saleman only can operate it. For that purpose the handle of the operating-lever can be separated from the said lever and is never left on the apparatus. Therefore each sales-' man has a handle as well as his ticket-book.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an outside front elevation of my registering and controlling apparatus. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the apparatus, as seen from the operating-lever side, the casing being cut away vertically. Fig. 3 is a general plan view, the casing being in part removed. Fig. 4 represents a vertical section of the recording device, properly so called, the section being made on the axial line of the rollers. Fig. 5 is a detail of the said recording device. Fig. 6 is a detail View of a segment and its operating-lever, and Fig. '7 is a section on the line 1 2 of Fig. 6.

The casing a of the general frame is in the form of a desk toward the salesman and carries four scales graduated from 0 to 9. Between the said scales and through the walls of the casing are provided slits or slideways I) Z), &c., Fig. 1, for levers c c, &c., extending into the interior of the casing and connecting with segments (Z (I, 850. respectively. The said segments are independent of each other and are all loosely mounted on the same horizontal spindle A, fixedly attached to the standards a of the machine. Each segment (I carries ICO on its periphery toward the rear points arranged in such a manner as to form in relief the same figures as those shown on the graduated scales. \Vhen the levers c are moved, the segments d are operated, and when the lever is set on a given figure of the graduated scale the corresponding figure in points of the segment is brought opposite the recording-roller to be hereinafter described. Also, opposite the same roller and in line with the figures in points is permanently fixed 011 one of the standards 6 of the apparatus a letter in points A, which is marked on all the tickets and which enables the cashier to control the different departments of the store, as hereinbefore described. This letter A, for instance, is also to be seen on the outside of the apparatus, as shown in Fig. 1.

The first outside scale of the desk of the apparatus, in beginning from the left, corresponds to tens of dollars, the second to units of dollars, the third to tens of cents, and the fourth to units of cents. I may have other superior units (hundreds of dollars, the.) by adding other segments and corresponding levers.

On the arms of each of the segments cl is fixed a toothed segment f, having a smaller radius, but which is of the same angle as the segment carrying the figures in points. The said toothed segment f is provided with semicircular recesses, the number of which is equal to that of the figures on the graduated scales. In the recesses of the toothed segments f engage rollers or abutments g, carried by keys or flat springs h, fixed on the arms 6 of one and the same cross-piecej. The flat springs 72 tend constantly to keep the rollers g in the recesses of the toothed segments j" for the purpose of limiting the axial movements of the segments d. The levers c carry at the outside of the casing a a pin or hand 0, which moves in front of the graduated scale and which serves as a pointer for the salesman.

On the spindle A of the segments cl is mounted the bell-crank operating-lever 70, the arm of which, carrying a roller 1, operates the recording device through a lever on. The handle of the operating-lever 7; is formed with a handpiece 1?. and a fiat part n,which is engaged in a suitably fitted housing in the thickness of the lever 7;, the fiat part '11- being shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2. Then the operatinglever is moved down, it abuts against a wedge or inclined plane 0, which thus limits its stroke. The said inclined plane rests on a foot 1) and presses against a supporting-plate q. A slit 0, provided in the disk 0, allows the latter to slide toward the right or left in order to regulate the stroke of the operating-lever 7t", and a screw 0 allows of fixing the inclined plane 0 on the plate q when once the stroke of the operating-lever has been suitably determined. A square or stop piece may be fixed on the operating-lever in order to increase the variability of the scope of the said lever. Finally, a returning-spring 1' brings the operating-lever back into its first position after each operation.

The recording device (see Fig. at) comprises two frames 3 s, in which are mounted the spindles of the bobbins, around which is wound and unwound the continuous paper band. The two frames 35', and consequently the bobbins themselves, oscillate around a shaft 13, journaled in fixed bearings 13 in the back plate a of the casing. The said plate a is hinged to and pivots on the bottom a of the casing, so that the recording device can be moved down into the same horizontal plane as the said bottom a for the purpose of renewing the paper band. The frames .9 s carry the spindles O, D, and E, respectively, of the drum 0, carrying the paper-roll of the roller D, on which the paper is wound after having been perforated, and of the roller E, which is made of rubber in order to allow the figures in points of the segments (l to pass through the paper when the said roller is brought into contact with the segments by the action of the operating-lever.

The lever m, hereinbefore mentioned, is affixed to the shaft F, journaled in bearings F, fixed to the plate a of the casing. The said shaft F is integral with a crank-arm t, which is connected by the two pitmen t to the crosspiece it. The cross-piece it is fixed on the two frames 3 s and has a small arm 11, to which are pivoted the two pitmen t. The result of this arrangement is that when the lever m is moved up the cross-piece u is moved away from the shaft F, and as the said cross-piece is connected with the frames 3 .5", which carry the roller E, the latter is brought into contact with the segments (Z for the perforations to be made in the paper band. The lever on carries a pawl r, which operates on a ratchetwheel t", affixed to the roller D. The said pawl o is formed with a pin or arm 11 which abuts against a roller '0 on the frame 5 when the lever on is moved up. The result of the contact is to raise the pawl i) on its pivot out of contact with the tooth of the ratchet-wheel and to turn it so far back as to be in convenient position for engaging the next tooth of the ratchet-wheel 011 the next feeding motion of the said lever and pawl. With this arrangement the pawl is enabled to come into engagement with another tooth of the ratchet wheel i), when the lever in. returns to its first position under the action of the returningspring 14:.

During the perforation of the paper band 'theratchet-wheel'v' is held fixed by the stoppawl 93, and consequently the paper band cannot at that moment be wound on the drum D. It is only after the perforation has been made and at the moment when lever in is brought back to its lowermost position and when the frames 5 s and the three rollers O, D, and E are moved backward by the spring 1 that the paper band can be wound on the drum D. Finally, at the upper part of plate spring or springs r.

a is fixed a latch or catch .2 which closes the casing after the latter has been opened for the renewal of the paper band, the looking or closing operation being performed by means of a square key 2, only part of which is shown in the drawings. Instead of this device a removable rod or bolt may be used, which rod or bolt may be fixed from the outside by any suitable means.

The operation of the hereinbefore-described recording apparatus is as follows: After each sale the salesman brings the hands 0 of the levers c opposite the figures corresponding to the amountof the sale, the corresponding figures in points being brought at the same time opposite the rubber roller E. The salesman tears a leaf out of his note-book and engages the said leaf in a slit G, provided for that purpose, in the casing of the apparatus between two guides I'I, only one of which is shown in the drawings in Fig. 2. He then acts on the handle n of the operating-lever 7a in order to move the same into its lowermost position. During this operation the roller l of arm 7c of the operating-lever 74 has moved up the lever m and thus caused the shaft F to oscillate. This oscillatory movement has turned the crank-arm t, which, through the pitmen t, has moved the cross-piece it away from the shaft F and caused the frames 8 s to oscillate on shaft B. In this movement the rubber roller E has been brought against the figures in points and has effected the perforation of the ticket as well as that of the paper band. WVhen the salesman releases the operating-lever, the latter is returned to its first position by means of the returning At the same time the recording device is moved back by the simultaneous action of springs 10 and 3 Drum or roller D has turned a part of a revolution under the action of pawl 11, acting 011 ratchetwheel 4), and the paper band has been wound to an extent sufficient for'allowing a fresh part to be brought opposite the figures in points for the next operation.

Before each operation the salesman moves levers c quickly up to their uppermost position and then conducts each of them to the position corresponding to the units figure of the amount to be recorded.

To provide for conveniently removing the rollers O D E, I sometimes make use of plate 8 which is attached to the frame 8 and may be moved over the same. This plate is provided with keyhole-slots 8 corresponding in position toshafts B C D E. Each of these shafts is recessed in the opposite sides near each end, leaving an intervening flattened portion which will fit the narrow parts of the said slots, the sides of the latter preventing the lengthwise withdrawal of the said shafts, the ends thereof being broader than said recessed ends. When the plate 5 is so shifted over the frame as to bring the larger part of each slot .9 opposite the end of the shaft which fits therein, the shafts C D E may be withdrawn lengthwise through the same and removed from the machine. The attachment of said plate to the said frame is made by setscrews which pass through straight slots 8 of the said frame, these slots and screws being arranged so as to permit the requisite sliding adjustment. An additional grindingclamp 8 may also be used.

I claim- I. In combination with a recording band or strip and the rollers over which it passes, a frame in which the said rollers are mounted, a pair of pitmen connecting the said frame to a pivotal arm, a lever m acting on said pitmen to force the said frame and rollers and the band carried thereby toward the segments, a retracting-spring for the said frame, a series of segments provided with characters on their peripheries which are formed of raised points and adapted to puncture the said band, and means for rocking the said segments on their aXes substantially as set forth.

2. In combination with a traveling band, and its rollers and supporting-frame, a lever m and means for oscillating the same, a pawl carried by the said lever, a ratchet-wheel engaged by the said pawl and mounted on one of the rollers of the said band for feeding the latter, a device carried by the said frame and arranged for contact with an arm of the said pawl to lift the latter out of engagement, and a series of devices for imprinting a record of payments on the said band substantially as set forth.

3. In combination with a lever m and means for oscillating it, a recording-band and rollers for the same, devices arranged to imprint thereon, a frame for the said rollers, connections between the said lever and the said frame for rocking the same toward the said devices,

a shaft on which the said frame is mounted,

and a hinged plate forming part of the casing and adapted to be folded down with the rollers and paper into the same plane with bottom of the casing substantially as set forth.

4. The triangular sliding plate 8 provided with keyhole-slots s and slots 8 in combination with the driving shaft and paperroller shafts which are notched and fitted into HENRY POTTIN.

Witnesses:

EUGENE WATTIER, EDWARD P. MAOLEAN. 

